


Hat in Hand

by Titch360



Category: Batman - All Media Types
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-13
Updated: 2016-08-13
Packaged: 2018-08-08 12:08:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,214
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7757290
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Titch360/pseuds/Titch360
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A lunch appointment leads to changes for Bruce and the family.  Teen for mild language.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hat in Hand

Hat in Hand

 

“How’s your day going, Mr. Wayne?”  Jean, Bruce Wayne’s secretary, asked her boss as he walked out of his office and stretched around noon on this particular Thursday. 

Bruce yawned and walked over to the woman’s desk.  “The task list is steadily shrinking, Jean.  I think I might actually finish everything on this week’s list before I go home tomorrow night.  When’s the wedding?”

Jean smiled as Bruce brought up her daughter’s impending nuptials.  “Three weeks.  Are you sure you can do without me for a few days?”

Bruce met her concerned gaze and said, “Are you sure you don’t want to take a few more days off?  It’s your daughter’s wedding.  I understand that there is a lot to do before an event like that.”

Jean smiled slyly at the man and said, “I’m sure you will find out just how much goes into it one of these days, Mr. Wayne.”

Bruce laughed aloud at the comment and replied, “I’m pretty sure one of the boys will get there before I do.”

“Don’t sell yourself short, Mr. Wayne.  You’re still a catch.”

Bruce smiled at the banter.  “I’m not selling myself short.  I’m just accepting that they have become more of a catch than me over the past few years.  I’m heading out to lunch, Jean.  Is there anything I can bring you back?”

“Wait, Mr. Wayne.  What about your lunch appointment?”

Bruce looked confused, “What lunch appointment?”

Jean turned her computer screen to face the man.  Pointing at the listing on the screen, she read, “Lunch appointment, noon today.”

“Oh,” Bruce blushed a bit, “I thought you were being nice and blocking out some time for me to get out of the office for a bit.  Where am I going for this meeting?”

Jean shook her head, “He said he would meet you here.”

Bruce leaned forward and asked, “And who, exactly, is this mystery meeting with?”

Before Bruce could finish his sentence, the elevator dinged and the doors opened on a man, who was nervously tugging at the arms of his suit jacket.  Nearly Bruce’s height, and with close cropped hair, the man turned to face Bruce and Jean with a startled look, as if he didn’t realize the elevator door had opened.

“Oh, um…hi.”

Bruce’s eyes widened as the man stepped off the elevator.  He gasped out, “Jason…”

“Jason?” Jean repeated questioningly.  Her eyes slowly widened at Bruce’s reaction.  “Surely not…You can’t mean…But I thought…How…Jason?”

The younger man gave a smile that surprised Bruce.  “Hi, Jean.  Long time.”

Jean shook her head, confusion setting in firmly.  “How is this possible?  I mean…you’re dead.”

Jason flinched at the descriptor, but replied calmly, “I ran away.  I wasn’t ready to accept what Bruce was offering me.  I heard he was looking for me, but I…I didn’t know.  I didn’t know how to accept what was in front of me.  I was young and stupid.  There was an explosion where I was staying.  Don’t ask me how I survived, I still don’t know.  I woke up months later, being nursed back to health.  They didn’t know who I was.  I didn’t know who I was, either.  It took years to recover my memories.  By then, I had been declared dead and buried.  I…I started over as best I could.”

Jean looked at Bruce accusingly and said, “Did you know he was alive?”

Bruce looked at Jason before answering.  “I found out a couple years ago.”

The secretary looked incensed, “And you didn’t say anything?”

Jason took a step forward and said, “He reached out to me, but I still wasn’t ready.  I was an angry, stupid young man.”

Jason turned to Bruce, his throat suddenly dry.  Swallowing hard, he said, “I’ve taken my issues out on you for far too long, Bruce.  If you’re willing, I’d like to at least talk.”

Bruce took a step closer to Jason and said quietly, “I’d like that.  There’s always time for you, son, especially since you were considerate enough to make an appointment.”

Jason gave a slight smile of relief, not quite sure what he had been expecting.  His nerves were fading as Jean came out from behind her desk and hugged the younger man.

Bruce looked his son up and down before saying, “Jean, what does my schedule look like for the rest of the day?”

“Just a call with contracting at 4:30.”

“Good,” Bruce smiled, “I’ll be back at 4:25.  You can take off early, if you want.”

The woman smiled, “Thank you, Mr. Wayne.  Enjoy your lunch.  Jason, welcome home.”

The two men stood uncomfortably side by side in the elevator.  As the car started moving, Bruce asked, “How long did it take you to come up with that cover story?”

Jason snorted, “How long was it between the time she recognized me and the time I started talking?”

“Hmm…”

The elevator fell silent again as it descended through the building.  Bruce noticed Jason tugging nervously at his jacket sleeves again.  He had noticed that the jacket was too tight, and the pants were a bit short.

“Nice suit,” Bruce said, trying not to snicker.

“It was the best I could come up with on short notice,” Jason grumbled.

Bruce looked curious.  “Why short notice?”

Jason looked down as he said, “I had to do this before I lost my nerve.  This was the biggest suit I could find to borrow.  As you might guess, I don’t have one of my own.”

_How would he take it if I offered to fix that for him, I wonder?_   “Next time, have Alfred get you one from my closet, instead of Dick’s.  He’s a bit too narrow in the shoulder for you.  You’re built more like me.”

Jason’s head snapped around to face Bruce.  “What?  Did you know I was coming today?  I asked Alfred not to say anything.”

“He didn’t.  Alfred likes to order us matching suits.  He’s done it since Dick’s first time at a society event.  I seem to remember wearing a suit remarkably similar to that one yesterday.”

Jason grumbled, remembering his own past days of getting ready for those hated events, only to find himself dressed like a miniature version of Bruce.  The first time was okay, but it got old for him very quickly.  “Yeah, I remember him doing that, now.”

Bruce smiled softly at Jason’s reflection in the elevator doors, “You still clean up nicely, Jason.  However, the boots don’t quite go with Armani.”

Jason snorted, “I was _not_ about to borrow shoes from Dick.  His feet are tiny.”

Bruce laughed easily, “Yes, they are.  So, what are you hungry for, Jason?  You made a lunch appointment, we might as well eat.”

Twenty-five minutes later, Bruce pulled his Mercedes into the parking lot of a grungy-looking edifice that looked more like a biker bar than Jason’s claim of it being ‘the best damn steakhouse in the city’. 

“I can’t believe you agreed to come here, Bruce,” Jason said as they walked into the dimly lit establishment.

Bruce was doing everything he could to keep from judging the place with Batman’s eye as he said, “This is where you said you wanted to go.  You reached out.  The least I can do is reach back.  If this is where you feel comfortable talking to me, then this is where we come.”

Jason blushed a little, but it was hidden by the lowered lighting.  “Th…thanks, Bruce.  That’s…I appreciate that.”

After they were seated and their orders taken, Bruce smiled softly over at his wayward son.  “So, what are we doing here, Jason?  I know you could have found a more interesting dining companion, if the way that waitress was flirting with you is any indication.”

Jason sighed, then took a deep breath before starting in.  “I…I” Jason chuckled, “I don’t know why this is so hard.”

“Take your time, Jason.”  Bruce specifically remembered to call him by his name, and not ‘son’.  Jason had a history of blowing up when Bruce called him that.  Bruce had gotten away with one in his office, but didn’t want to push his luck. Now that the young man was reaching out, Bruce didn’t want to do anything to push him away.

“I hated you for a long time, Bruce,” Jason finally blurted out.

The admission hurt to hear, but Bruce could understand where it came from.  “And, you wanted to let me know that you still hate me?  Just in case I had forgotten?”

Jason growled, “No.  Believe it or not, I don’t hate you anymore.  I don’t know when it happened, but…it did.  I see a lot, Bruce.  I know things that you probably don’t think I would even care about.  I watched all of you go through everything that happened at the end of last year.  You all bounced back so well.  That series of events should have been the end of…well, of everything, and it wasn’t.  I saw that, and, for once, I didn’t feel jealous.  I didn’t feel hate.  I felt…left out.  I realized I spend a lot of time in the dark, and you and Dick have been trying to pull me back into the light.  Hell, even the Replacements have tried, in their own ways.”

Bruce was not expecting to hear what he was hearing.  “Are…are you saying what I think you’re saying?”

Jason leaned back, “I’m not coming home…coming back to the manor, I mean.  I’m not ready for that.  I may never be ready for that.  Besides, you have enough going on without me around.”

Bruce nodded, deflating a bit.  “I understand.  Just know, you’re always welcome.  You don’t have to call, or let us know in advance, or make an appointment, or anything.  Just…come by whenever you want.  We’ll move at your speed.”

Jason shot Bruce a smile that reminded the man of the boy he had taken in from the streets all those years ago.  “Thank you, Bruce.  You know, you and Dick have been telling me that for years.  I don’t know why I never believed it before.  I don’t know why I’m believing it now.  The message has never changed.  I don’t know why, but I think I’m ready to believe it now.”

“Glad to hear it, son.”  Jason didn’t flinch at the title, the first time in years that it didn’t bother him.

Their steaks were served, and Bruce had to agree that this was an incredible piece of cow.  To Bruce’s surprise, the meal passed in a companionable silence, reminding both of them of old dinners at the manor.

Sitting back with a cup of coffee after their plates were taken, Bruce asked, “So, is that why you wanted to meet today?  To tell me that you are planning on taking advantage of an opportunity I have tried to get you to accept for years?”

Jason took a deep breath, trying to bite back the snarky comment that sprang to the end of his tongue.  “No, there’s more.  I figured you would be the right one to help me with all this, since you did some of it in the first place.”

Bruce felt a pang of guilt as he said, “Okay, what can I do to help you?”

“As you know, I’m dead…”

“That’s not funny, Jason,” Bruce interrupted, “Don’t even joke like that.”

Jason rolled his eyes and continued, “In the eyes of the law, Jason Todd is dead.  You should know, you’re the one who had me declared dead.”

Bruce leaned forward and hissed at the younger man.  “What else was I supposed to do?  We had a body.  We had _your_ body.  I found you in that warehouse.  There was nothing I knew of to do at that time.”

“Relax, Bruce.  I’m not here to rub it in.  I’m here to get you to help me come back to life.”

Bruce was confused, “What do you mean?”

“I’m not the first person to ever be declared dead, then later be found to be alive.  There has to be a way to get me on the positive side of the ledger again.  As nice as it has been to not have to worry about getting mail, being summoned for jury duty, paying taxes, and being hounded about bills, there are a lot of other things I can’t do.”

“Like what?” Bruce asked, curious about what his son felt like he was missing out on.

“Like…having a job with a future, getting a driver’s license so I can get a new car, getting out of my apartment, and into a bigger place.  You can’t do any of that when you don’t exist.”

Bruce nodded, smiling.  _Is that responsibility I hear coming out of Jason?_   “If you like, and it’s completely up to you, we can probably get all those done this afternoon.”

“Really?” Jason asked, excitement breaking through his normal tough-guy façade, before he pulled himself back under control again.  “I mean, don’t you have a meeting this afternoon?”

Bruce shrugged, “I do, but this is more important.  Dick will wait, once he finds out what’s going on today.”

Jason looked at Bruce strangely.  “You make conference call appointments to talk to Dickiebird?  What do you talk about?”

“Business.  Dick is my head of Contracting.  Say, you mentioned holding a job.  What do you want to do?  Just name it and I’ll try to find an opening.”

“Whatever it is, I don’t want to wear one of these stupid things all day,” Jason said, gesturing to the borrowed suit he was wearing.

Bruce smiled and said, “When you have one that’s tailored to you, they’re not as uncomfortable as you look.  Hold on a second.”

Bruce pulled out his phone and dialed a number.  “Alfred, I need you to do me a favor.  In the file cabinet in my study, there is a file marked ‘Important Papers-Jason’.  I need you to get that file and bring it to me…It’s in the top drawer…No, meet us at the County Records Clerk’s office…As soon as you can, please, Alfred…Um, no.  I guess Damian is okay to stay home alone for an hour or two, if he doesn’t want to come…Thanks, Alfred…You _know_ why I’m asking.  You could at least have given him a suit that fit…Right, see you soon.”

Jason listened to the conversation, wondering why he was surprised at what he heard.  “You have a file on me?  Why?”

“I couldn’t bring myself to get rid of it.  Just like I couldn’t bring myself to clear out your room.  It may have been cleaned up, but it is still the same.  Still yours.  Any time you want it, it’s there for you.”

Jason leaned back, a hard look on his face.  “Too fast, Bruce.  I appreciate you agreeing to help me, but you’re trying for too much, too soon.”

Bruce nodded slightly, “Sorry, Jason.  I don’t mean to push.  You’ve just made me so happy today, I got carried away.  We should go, if we’re going to beat Alfred to the Records Office.”

Bruce paid their bill and they left the restaurant.  As they entered the bright sun outside of the dim dining establishment, Bruce said, “Anyway, Jason.  You know who I am.  You know that I have files on everyone.  You shouldn’t be surprised at that.”

Bruce drove into the city as Jason asked, “What’s in this file?”

“I haven’t looked at it in years, but it should have all the basics that we need today.”

“Like what?” Jason pressed.

“Your birth certificate.  My guardianship papers.  Your high school transcripts and diploma.  Some medical records.  A few other things.”

Jason nodded slightly, then shook his head and said, “Wait.  I didn’t graduate high school.”

Bruce smirked, “You may not have been around for the ceremony, but you finished all your classes.  The school district sent it to us, along with a nice note of condolence.  In fact, I think the note is in the file as well.”

Jason spent the rest of the ride in quiet contemplation, wondering if he had misjudged Bruce all these years.  _Why would he keep all that stuff, after all this time?  Bruce may have been the first person to care about me on that level.  He didn’t kill the Joker, but then again, he didn’t kill Two Face after he almost killed his real son.  He didn’t kill the guy who killed Dick’s parents, either.  Did he do that for us, or for himself?  He’s not going to change himself, even when something happens that changes his entire life.  Or, can he not take out the people who hurt or killed us, because no one ever caught the guy who killed his parents?_

“You’re awfully quiet over there, Jason.  You okay?”

Jason shook himself out of his thoughts and said, “Oh, just thinking.  I don’t think…well, thanks for doing this, Bruce.  I…thanks.”

Bruce looked over at the uncomfortable expression on Jason’s face and said, “Is that all you were thinking, or is asking too much, too?”

Jason considered for a moment before saying, “You can ask.  I just think it requires more thought, and more time, than we have right now.”

Bruce sighed as he pulled into a parking spot.  “Well, you’re right about the second part, but just remember, two heads are better than one.  Whenever you’re ready to talk, we can talk.”

“I know,” Jason said quietly, before looking up and saying, “Let’s go get me back among the living.”

“Father, wait!”

Bruce and Jason stopped at the quiet call that followed them into the building.  Jason walked quickly back to the door that had closed behind them and pushed it open.  It stopped suddenly with a heavy thump, followed by pained cursing.

“Father.  That hurt.  Why did…oh, it’s you.”

Bruce stuck his head out of the door next to Jason and said, “Damian?  Are you okay?”

Damian stood back up after bouncing off of the quickly opening door, rubbing at his cheek as he shot a look at Jason.  “He just threw the door in my face.  What do you think?”

“What are you doing here, son?” Bruce asked.

Damian handed his Father the file folder he was carrying.  “I wanted to get out of the house for a bit, so I came with Pennyworth to bring you your file.  We saw you walking into the building, so he let me out to catch you while he finds a parking spot.”

Bruce thumbed through the file while Damian brushed dust from his pants.  Jason looked at the boy and said, “Still in the cast?”

Damian looked down at his arm and said, “It comes off tomorrow.  This is the second year in a row I’ve broken an arm.  I’d like to not do it again next year.”

Distracted, Bruce asked, “Having a good day so far, Damian?”

“Yes, Father.  Pennyworth is going to let me make dinner with him again tonight.  Um…is there anything special you would like, Father?”

Bruce looked up and said, “Oh, gosh.  We just had a pretty big lunch.  How about something light?”

Damian looked up at Jason, then back at Bruce and asked, “How many should I plan for?”

Bruce looked at Jason with a cocked eyebrow.  Jason shook his head, “Not tonight.  I actually have plans tonight, or I would consider it.  Besides, Demon here might try to poison me.  You’re awfully brave for eating something he makes.”

Damian looked somewhat hurt as he said, “You didn’t seem to have a problem with my cooking at Christmas.”

Jason’s eyes widened, “ _You_ made that?  That was incredible.”

Damian blushed a bit and said softly, looking at the ground, “Thank you.”

Bruce butted in again, still looking through the file.  “How’s the school work coming?  Are you working on your packets?”

“Yes, Father.”  Damian was currently in the process of completing the school year through homeschooling.

“What did you work on this morning?”

“Biology.  I should be done with that packet by next week.”

“Good.  Are you supposed to meet back with Alfred?”

Damian shook his head, “He said he would find us when he found a parking spot.”

Bruce turned and caught the strained look on Jason’s face.  “Is that okay with you, Jason?”

Jason’s look changed from strained to slightly guilty.  “To be honest, if I said no, would that hurt your feelings?”

“Maybe, a little,” Damian said, “But I can understand your wish for privacy.  I’ll wait on one of the benches outside the office.”

Bruce walked on ahead as Jason leaned over and whispered to Damian.  “You would do that, for me?”

Damian shrugged, “You helped me get over my…issue.  If this is what you need to get over your own, then I guess I can do that for you.  Grayson tells me that is what brothers do for each other.  Oh, and since I may not be here when you are done, Grayson would kill me if I didn’t say happy birthday.”

Jason looked at the boy strangely, “It isn’t my birthday.”

“If I understood Pennyworth correctly, you and Father are going to try to change your legal status to ‘living’.  If that doesn’t sound like a birth, I don’t know what does.  Just don’t be surprised if Pennyworth shows up at your apartment with a cake tomorrow.”

Bruce smiled as he witnessed his even-numbered sons having a civil conversation.  “Are you ready?”

Jason took a deep breath and nodded.  Damian turned and sat on a bench across the hall from the office.  Bruce looked at the boy and opened his mouth to speak, but Damian spoke first.  “When Pennyworth gets here, we will leave.  He needs you more right now.  I’ll be okay out here.”

“Thank you, Damian,” Bruce said, with genuine warmth in his voice and a smile on his face.

Bruce and Jason approached a middle-aged woman behind the counter in the office.  The woman looked up and gave a pleasant smile to the men at her counter.

“Good afternoon, gentlemen.  How may I help you?”

Bruce noticed the nervous expression on Jason’s face, and the way he paled when approaching the woman.  He spoke for his son.  “Hello.  We have a public record with a pretty big mistake on it, and we need to get it corrected.”

The woman looked concerned as she said, “Oh?  Well, let’s see what we can do about that.  Do you have a copy of the record in question?”

Bruce nodded, reached into the file he was carrying, and pulled out a sheet of paper.  Jason craned his neck to see what Bruce was handing the woman, but stopped when a queasy feeling took over his stomach after reading the words ‘Certification of Death’.  _He has a copy of my death certificate.  Well, why not, he has my birth certificate in there, too._

The woman took the document and read it over.  “This is a death certificate,” the woman said.

“Yes,” Bruce replied, “More specifically, it’s _his_ death certificate.”

“Oh, dear.”

“Right.  As you can see, he isn’t dead, so we would like this rescinded, and for Jason here to be a legal, live citizen again.”

“Okay,” the woman said.  “That may be a little more complicated than just filling out a correction form, but we should be able to help you.  First, I need to see some proof that you are the person on this form.  Do you have any I.D.?”

Jason looked up at Bruce with an ‘is she serious’ look and said, “No, I don’t.”

“Okay, that isn’t an insurmountable problem.  Let’s start with your full names.”

Jason cleared his throat.  “Jason Peter Todd.”

The woman smiled, “All first names, huh?  And you, sir?”

“Bruce Thomas Wayne.”

The woman did a double take at Bruce before continuing.  “And, what is your interest in this case, Mr. Wayne?”

Bruce pulled two more documents from his file and said, “I’m his legal guardian, or, I was.  Here are my guardianship papers.  I can legally and bindingly attest that this is Jason Todd.  That other form is his birth certificate.”

“Well, I guess you would know.  Is there anything else that can be used as an identifier for Mr. Todd?”

Jason grabbed a piece of paper and a pen from the counter and wrote down two numbers.  Handing it to the woman, he said, “The first number was my social security number.  The second was my driver’s license number.”

Bruce looked at Jason, shocked.  “I didn’t even think about your driver’s license.”

“What, it’s not in your file?” Jason snarked.

“No, it’s in your room, in your wallet.”

The woman held up the paper and said, “These will help, Mr. Todd.  If you will come back here, please.  You need to speak with my supervisor.  Mr. Wayne, you can have a seat over there.”

Two hours later, Jason walked out of the office and slumped down in the chair next to Bruce.

“Well?  How’d it go?”

Jason sighed and said, “Gotham PD should take interrogation lessons from that guy.  They definitely weren’t just going to take my word for it.  Um…thanks for coming with me.  It sounds like they wouldn’t even have considered my request if you weren’t here.”

Bruce patted Jason’s knee and said, “Glad to do it, Jason.  I’ve been hoping for something like this since I found out you were alive.”

Jason felt a warmth welling up in his chest that he didn’t expect.  It felt good.  “Aren’t you going to be late for your meeting?”

Bruce looked at his watch.  “Yes, but this is more important.”

Bruce’s phone buzzed in his pocket.  He pulled it out and saw Dick’s number flash on the screen.  “Speaking of, I should take this, and tell him I will have to miss our meeting.”  Bruce answered the call as he rose and stepped into the hallway.

Jason sat on the chair, staring at his hands.  _This is really happening.  Am I sure I want this?  It’s a little late for that thought, Todd.  Okay, so I get this done, then what?  Damn it, why did that little shit have to get me thinking last year?  Why was it so hard to get this thought out of my head?  It’s not like I’m just going to move back into the manor and everything is going to be like it was before.  Bruce and Dick may be expecting that, and Little Shit was right, it would be fun to mess with Replacement, but…isn’t that like giving up?  I’m my own man, damn it…but I don’t have to be my own man by myself all the time._

Jason’s thoughts were interrupted when the woman at the counter cleared her throat.  “Okay, Mr. Todd.  You can…where did Mr. Wayne go?”

Jason hitched his thumb at the door and said, “He had to take a call, he stepped outside.”

The woman shrugged, “Well, that was thoughtful of him.  Would you like to wait until he gets back?”

Jason stood and shook his head, “No, let’s get this over with.”

She slid a stack of papers across the counter and said, “Okay.  Here is your initial paperwork, and the documentation that Mr. Wayne provided.  This is your initial Writ of Intent.  I need you to sign on the bottom line, please.”

Jason took the pen the woman handed him.  His hand hovered just above the page as he hesitated before signing.  “What does it say?” he asked nervously.

“This is just the statement you gave in your interview.”

Jason nodded and signed the paper.  The woman smiled and said, “Thank you.  Let me make you a copy of that.”

She walked away and returned a minute later with the copy.  Jason took it and asked, “So, I’m alive again?”

“Well, you’re standing here, so you are definitely alive.  You won’t legally be ‘you’ again until after your court date…”

“Court date?”

She smiled and nodded, “Yes.  You have to testify before a judge before everything is finalized.”

“ _Testify?”_

“…Yes.”

Jason gulped slowly, “I changed my mind.  I want to wait for Bruce.”

The woman smiled gently.  “I understand.  If it’s okay with you, I’m going to go get a cup of water and be right back.”

“Of course,” Jason said as the woman walked away, to a water cooler in the back of the office.

Bruce walked back into the office in time to see Jason rake his fingers through his short hair.

“Something wrong?” he asked.

Jason turned, his eyes wide, “Bruce, she said I have to go testify in court!”

“Yeah,” Bruce said evenly.

Jason’s eyes narrowed, “You knew that would happen, didn’t you?”

“I expected as much.  It’s a legal matter.  You can’t solve a legal matter out of court.”

“That would have been nice to know about before we started this,” Jason grumbled.

Bruce looked a bit sad to Jason as he said, “Would knowing that have changed your decision?”

“…No, it wouldn’t,” Jason answered honestly, surprising them both.

“They aren’t convening a grand jury to decide if you are who you say you are.  You just go up, tell the judge what you said in the interview today, and he makes his decision.  It’s just like going to traffic court.”

“I’ve never _been_ to traffic court,” Jason exclaimed.

“Relax, son,” Bruce smiled, “I’ll be with you the whole way, if you want.”

Jason met Bruce’s eyes, “You’d do that?”

“Sure.  Won’t be the first time I’ve been to court for you.”

An hour later, after the clerk explained everything to Bruce, the pair found themselves back in the car, heading back to Wayne Tower.  Bruce smiled over at his second son, who was wearing an exasperated look.

“You okay over there?” Bruce asked.

“Huh?” Jason seemed to snap out of a trance.  “Yeah.  I just can’t believe all this is happening.”

“You’re almost there, Jason.  The biggest step is the one you took today.  You stepped up and said you wanted to join in the positive side of life.”

Jason looked out the window and grumbled, “I need a beer.”

“It’s not all that bad, Jason.”

“Come on, Bruce, let’s hit the bar.  Just one, for the road.”

Bruce smiled, “As nice as that sounds, we can’t.  I do need to get back to the office.  Besides, I won’t do that to Damian.”

Jason gave Bruce a strange look.  “What?  Did you name your liver after your kid?”

“No,” Bruce said softly, “I made a promise.”

Jason chuckled, “Demon Brat put you on the wagon?”

Bruce frowned, “…And I’ll gladly do it, if it means I can spend more time with my son.  Dick and I haven’t touched a drop since Christmas Eve.”

Jason gave an appraising look.  “That’s…commendable, Bruce.  You are willing to change for your son.”

Bruce met Jason’s eyes meaningfully.  “I’m not going to kill the Joker, no matter how much he deserves it.”

“I know, Bruce,” Jason whispered, “I think I’m okay with that now.”

Returning to Bruce’s office, Bruce was surprised that Jason didn’t ask to be dropped somewhere, the pair found Dick waiting at Bruce’s desk.  Dick gave an ear to ear, toothy grin, which made Jason sigh and roll his eyes.

“You told him, didn’t you, Bruce?” Jason accused.

Bruce smiled, “I had to tell him why I was missing our meeting.”

“So,” Dick asked with a smirk, “Are you alive again?”

“No,” Jason grumbled, “I need to go before a judge in two weeks.  He’ll decide if I get to be me again.”

Bruce took his seat back from Dick and said to his eldest, “Before that happens, we have a very important decision to make.  I believe that your brother mentioned something about looking for a job earlier.  Think we can find him something around here?”

Dick shook his head with a heavy sigh.  “I don’t know, Bruce.  We need to think about his qualifications.  I mean, the cleaning crew does such good work.  I would hate to have to force them out of a job.  The kitchen and catering staff can’t use him; his cooking is terrible.  I guess we could bring him on as a tour guide, but they only work a couple days a month.”  Dick turned to Jason, “I assume you are looking for something a bit steadier than that?”

“You would assume correctly,” Jason grumbled, knowing they weren’t being serious.  However, that knowledge did little to stem his annoyance.

“No,” Bruce said with a thoughtful expression, “It needs to be something that uses his natural talents.”

Dick snapped his fingers, “Ooh, window washer.  He can rappel around the building all day.”

Bruce shook his head slowly, “Close, but not quite.”

Dick shrugged, “Corporate Assassin?”

Bruce waved his hand dismissively, “Nah.  I can get Damian to do that, and all it would cost me is a new video game every now and then.”

“Would anyone like my opinion on the matter?” Jason asked, his annoyance reaching his limit.

“No,” Bruce and Dick said at the same time.

Bruce continued, “You’ll work where we assign you, and if you don’t like it, then McDonalds is right down the street.  They’re about the only people, other than me, who will hire you with your record.”

Jason rolled his eyes and stood.  Frustrated, he started heading for the door.

Dick said, loud enough for his brother to hear, just as Jason got to the door.  “You know, the Security Consultant position will be coming open pretty soon.”

Jason stopped, his hand on the door knob.  _Security Consultant?  That…that doesn’t sound too bad._

Jason didn’t see Bruce and Dick smiling as he turned his head slightly to listen as Bruce said, “It _was_ coming open soon, but Steve postponed his retirement.  It may not be available for a while.”

Dick sighed, “Steve delayed his retirement _again?_   Does he want to just work until he dies?  Maybe you need to throw a little incentive into his retirement package.”

Jason turned his head and said softly, “What…what exactly would a Security Consultant do?”

Bruce and Dick shot each other bright grins before Bruce said, “It doesn’t really matter, Jason.  Steve isn’t retiring for a while.  No use looking at a job that isn’t available.”

Dick continued, “Besides, it’s mostly on the job training.  You would have to be able to identify risks and protect the building and employees.”  Dick turned to look at Bruce and said, “I don’t know, that doesn’t really scream ‘Jason Todd’ to me.”

Jason turned fully back to his father and brother, his hands on his hips.  “Hey!  If I can protect Crime Alley, cleaning up Wayne Enterprises will be no problem.”

Bruce grew deadly serious as he said, “You cleaned up Crime Alley by making deals with organized crime.  Vigilantes working with criminals doesn’t make for the ideal environment.  My company is run completely above board.  If you are going to have a part in it, then you are going to have to follow my rules.  If you can’t do that, then you need to tell me right now.”

Jason took a step back towards the desk, fully realizing now why Bruce Wayne had a reputation as a serious businessman.  He swallowed before saying, “This isn’t Crime Alley.  There is no reason for a… _hooded_ …approach to security around here.  I can work within the constraints you set out.”

Bruce held Jason’s gaze for close to a minute.  To his satisfaction, his son didn’t flinch.  “Good.  When you have a legal status again, we can bring up the subject of your employment again.  For now, it’s almost six.  We can call it a day.”

The next two weeks, Bruce saw almost no signs of Jason.  He didn’t show up once at the manor, despite his acceptance of the open invitation.  Bruce received only one call from his second son, the day before his court date.  That was just to confirm that Bruce would meet him at the courthouse.  Dick heard from Jason a couple times, and Alfred took the cake Damian had joked about to Jason’s apartment as expected.

The court date went smoother than Jason believed it would, and after weeks of nerves and hours of waiting around for his case to be heard, Jason Peter Todd was declared a lifetime member of life after just fourteen minutes before the judge.

Bruce had wanted to celebrate the occasion, but Jason insisted that it only be him and Bruce at the courthouse.  The task fell to Bruce to inform the rest of the family that Jason was once again a legal citizen.  He celebrated by opening a checking account for his second son, and throwing in a sizable amount to get him started. 

That night, life returned to normal around the manor.  Batman received a tip of a gang working both sides of the border between Crime Alley and the rest of the city, and decided it was worth investigating.  He took Robin to look over the situation, an act that endeared him greatly to the young sidekick.  This was the first patrol he had been allowed on since the cast came off.

Batman left the Batmobile parked in the abandoned parking lot of the collapsed Gotham Mercy Hospital, and he and Robin took off into the night to investigate the supposed hideout of this new gang.

“Which one is it, Batman?” Robin asked for the fourth time as they crept along the rooftops.

Batman rolled his eyes under his cowl.  He could understand that Robin was anxious to see some action on his first patrol in almost five months, but Batman was a firm believer in the phrase ‘once is enough’.

“Two more blocks, Robin.  This is Third Street, the hideout is on Fifth.  Be on your guard, Gordon said they have lookouts stationed.”

A hand to his elbow was enough to stop Batman.  “I see them, Batman.  Across the street, under the water tower.”

Batman knelt and spotted the three lookouts.  “Very good, Robin.”

“Tt.  I lost weight, not my ability to do our job.”

Batman turned his head to regard his youngest son.  “Fine.  Prove it.  You have three minutes to take down those sentries.  I don’t want to hear anything until you report in over the radio from under that water tower.”

Robin gave an evil smile and disappeared from Batman’s side.  For as much as Batman doesn’t miss details, he had to admit that, despite watching intently, he didn’t see his son cross the street.  The first sign of movement he caught was the flick of the boy’s cape as he mounted the rooftop hiding the guards.

Exactly two minutes and four seconds after Robin disappeared from his side, the radio crackled to life.  “It’s done.  Three sentries incapacitated and bound, and their radios have been disabled.  Any other _difficult_ tasks you would care to assign me?”

Batman replied, “I don’t see what you are so glib about, Robin.  You failed the test.  I said to take them out silently.  I could hear you punching the last guard.  With as close as we are to their hideout, if I could hear it, then so could they.”

The boy’s subdued voice carried over the frequency, “Sorry, Father.”

Batman’s voice softened as he heard the hurt in Robin’s voice.  “It’s been five months.  You need to work your way back into this.  Like anything else, this is a skill.  It’s okay if you are a bit rusty.  What can you see from over there?”

_Besides my failure in your eyes?_ Robin thought.  “Rooftops are clear from this vantage point.  Wait…two more guards just came into view.  Four buildings east of your position.  It must be right across the street from the hideout.”

Batman took out his monocular and pointed it in the direction his partner indicated as the sound of a motorcycle engine grew and fell in the distance.  Batman huffed in frustration; his view of the guards was obstructed by a shed on the roof, two buildings over.  “I can’t see them from here.  Guide me closer.”

Robin thought that was a strange request from Batman, but realized the man may have been trying to make up for the comment about the test.  Pulling his own monocular from his utility belt, Robin crept up to the edge of the building and carefully observed the situation.

“The shed that is keeping you from seeing them is also blinding them from you.”  Robin turned the optic to his side of the street and searched the roofs of the next few buildings.  Seeing nothing, he continued, “You are clear up to the shed.  Stay low, there are too many observation points in these buildings.  I don’t like it, we’re too exposed.”

“Agreed, Robin.  I’m moving now.”

The Boy Wonder saw the Dark Knight vault from one rooftop to the next before losing him in a deep shadow.  He knew Batman was closing in on his next stop, and would require new instructions quickly.  Looking back at the guards, he quickly dropped out of sight.

“Batman, freeze.  Get into cover, now.”

“What is it, Robin,” Batman’s concerned voice came over the line.

“A third guard on the roof.  He’s climbing up the water tower over there.  He’s carrying a high-powered sniper’s rifle.  Looks like an eighty millimeter scope.  Once he gets to the top of the tower, he will be able to command the entire block from that vantage point.”

There was definite concern in Batman’s voice as he asked, “How is your cover over there?”

“I’m moving now.  There is a structure on the next rooftop, like the shed you are behind.  It will provide better cover.”

“Be careful, Robin.”

Batman watched for movement across the street.  Robin was a bit easier for the man to spot this time, as the boy moved with much haste.  Batman breathed a sigh of relief when the cape disappeared behind a brick staircase enclosure.

From two buildings east of Robin, a commotion arose that could be heard all over the block.  Batman growled over the radio, “You were spotted.”

“Can’t be, Batman.  I saw the sniper when I was moving.  He wasn’t set up…The guards.”

Batman took a quick look around him, to make sure Robin wasn’t warning him of something happening that he didn’t see.  “Explain.”

Robin sounded contrite as he explained.  “I left the guards tied up under the water tower.  The sniper must have seen them and radioed in the alert.  I…I’m sorry, Batman.”

Batman shook his head, “No time to think about that now.  The target is two buildings from where you are.  Can you see it from there?”

Robin looked without exposing himself to observation.  He frowned at the structure in question.  “I see it.  Why did they choose that one?  It looks like it’s ready to collapse.  It must have been a huge fire to cause that much damage.  There are gaping holes in the roof and walls.”

“Robin, there are no guards between you and the hideout…”

“Yeah, just a sniper,” the boy interrupted.”

“Let me worry about that,” Batman continued, “When I say move, I want you to get into position to enter through that roof hole.  I’ll let you know when to breach.”

Robin’s eyes widened.  _Is he crazy?  He doesn’t want four sons, does he?_   “Do I get a vote in this?”

“I have you covered, Robin,” Batman said, patiently exasperated.  “Move, now.”

Taking a deep breath, Robin made his way quickly to the edge of the building.  Two quick shots rang out.  One pinged harmlessly behind the swiftly moving boy, while the second was aimed at an entirely different building.  Robin leapt the gap between the rooftops, rolling upon landing on the next building.

A muffled shout caught his attention, and Robin popped his head up just in time to see the sniper fall from his lofty perch.  He was captivated to see Batman springing into action, seemingly out of nowhere.  It was an awe-inspiring sight for the boy.  _That’s_ my _Father,_ crossed his mind, sending a spike of pride through his chest.  The guards fell quickly, and Batman moved on to position himself to swing across the street and breach through the broken wall.

Seeing his father in position, Robin remembered he was on the wrong roof.  The radio quickly crackled to life.  “What’s the delay, Robin?”

“Sorry, Father,” Robin said as he moved into position.  “Just exercising caution,” he whispered from his newly-attained breach position.

“Go now, I’ll be right behind you.”

Robin drew a collapsible staff from his belt, extended it, and dropped through the roof.  He landed in a crouch, then quickly stood and turned to view the room.  What he saw wasn’t encouraging.  Thirty gang members stared at the young vigilante in shock before picking up bats, knives, and guns.”

“Tt.  Shit.”

Robin quickly ran and leapt at the gang members as Batman, true to his word, burst through the wall behind Robin.  The Boy Wonder had taken down three thugs before Batman was noticed.  A general melee broke out, focusing on two points in the room.  The only blessing Batman could count was that the room was too chaotic for the goons to use their guns.

Several minutes later, as the fight raged, Batman was distracted by a door opening into the warehouse.  Not taking the time to look at what came in through the door, Batman keyed his radio to warn his partner.

“Robin, look out for reinforcements coming from the hallway.”

Focused on knocking down as many goons as possible, Robin got distracted by the voice entering his ear.  He stood up straight and turned in Batman’s direction at the sound.

“What?  AAH!”

The break in the youth’s assault was all the time one gang member needed to draw his pistol, aim, and fire.  Batman turned at the sound of the gunfire, just in time to see Robin spin from the impact and drop to the ground.

“ROBIN!”

There was no answer to his call.  There was also no time to check the boy’s condition, as six of the remaining gang members threw themselves at Batman.  As much as rage was fueling his fight, the combined weight of a half dozen large thugs was enough to push the vigilante back.  He fought on, but his mind was elsewhere, until he tripped over an unconscious thug.  Four remaining goons began raining hard kicks down on the Dark Knight, and it was all he could to keep the boots out of his face.

A half minute later, the blows stopped.  Batman looked in front of him to see only one pair of boots standing before him.  When they didn’t attack, Batman looked up and saw they were attached to Red Hood, who was holding out a hand to help the vigilante stand up.

“You threw a party in my territory, and you didn’t even invite me?  That’s rude, Batman.”

Batman could hear the smile in the younger vigilante’s voice.  “Thank you, Red Hood.  How did you know we were here?”

“I’ve been watching this group for a couple days now.  It was high time I took them down, you just beat me to it.”

Batman’s head snapped towards the center of the room, “Robin.”

He headed in the direction where he last saw his boy, only to see the youth rising, the criminal’s pistol held out in his right hand.  Robin pointed the weapon at one of the thugs lying at his feet, the same one who shot him.

“You son of a bitch.”  Robin pulled the trigger, and the report echoed in Batman’s ears long after the sound faded from the room.  He ran up to his son and snatched the gun from his hand.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?  We don’t kill.  You made a promise to me, a promise I expect you to keep.”

Robin sneered at Batman and yanked the pistol back from his father.  Stripping the magazine from the semi-automatic weapon, he pulled out one round and held it up for the vigilante to see.

“Rubber bullets.  The only thing I did to him is give him a bruise that will match the one I’ll have tomorrow.”

Batman looked the boy over and noticed that he was gratefully hole-free.  A shaking, gloved finger ran over a new tear in the youth’s tunic, running over his shoulder.  A nasty welt could be seen rising under the torn fabric.  “Is this where you got hit?”

Robin took a shaky breath as the adrenaline flow ebbed.  Looking at the fresh hole in his clothing, he said quietly, “Yes, Father.”

“You’re right.  That’s going to be one hell of a bruise tomorrow.  Tell me, would you still have shot him if they were lethal rounds?”

Robin thought for a second before saying, “I wouldn’t have killed him.  We don’t do that, Father.”

“I’m surprised the two of you would want to come here,” a third voice entered into their conversation.  Batman and Robin turned to see Red Hood take off his helmet, his eyes still covered by a black domino mask.

“Tt.  We go where the crime is.  You should know that, Hood.”

A smirk crossed the man’s face as he said, “At least you can walk out on your own this time.  I was not about to carry you again.”

Robin gave a questioning look.  “What are you talking about, Hood?”

The smirk fell from Red Hood’s face as he walked closer.  “What do you mean, what am I talking about?  I figured, after your last experience here, you would never want to come back.”

“I’ve never been here before.”

“Wrong, you almost never left here.”

Robin turned to Batman and asked, “What is he talking about, Father?”

Batman looked at his second son and said, “I’d like to know that myself.  Red Hood?”

Red Hood shook his head in disbelief, “I can understand you not knowing, Batman.  After all, you weren’t here.  But, Robin should recognize this space very well.”

Red Hood grabbed Robin’s arm and dragged him over to stand next to the opening in the wall.  He turned the boy around slowly several times, until he was finally facing him again.  The boy’s expression held slight annoyance, but no recognition.

“Nothing?”

“No.  What are you talking about?”

Hood sighed, “This is where Replacement and I found you after you and Bat-Two got…blown up.”

Robin’s jaw sagged slightly.  There was still no recollection of this building, but the address suddenly flashed through his mind.  “Fifth and Johnson.  This was Dr. Daka’s staging area.  This is where our whole investigation started.”

Batman approached and said, “What happened here, Hood?”

He turned to face the elder vigilante and said, “The Alternate Duo got a tip of another gang working out of this warehouse.  They investigated and found themselves in a fight, much like the one you had tonight.  Batman and Robin started the fight, and a suicide bomber ended it.  Replacement and I were called in to answer Baby Bat’s emergency beacon.  We found them, right here, where we’re standing, and ran them to Gotham Mercy.”  He nudged Robin and said, “Didn’t think this one was going to make it.  This is why he only has one knee now.  He was shot through that wall over there.  Bat-Two was shot, too, only the bullets were armor piercing, instead of rubber.”

Batman had placed a hand comfortingly on his youngest son’s shoulder during the tale.  Robin shook his head and said, “I don’t remember any of it.”  He glanced up, annoyed at what he heard Hood say, “I have two knees still.  Just, one of them is metal, instead of bone.”

Hood smirked, “Well, excuse me.  I figured you wouldn’t even want to drive down this street, much less fight in this same building.”

A distant siren pierced the night.  Batman looked towards the broken wall and said, “Let’s get out of here.  Let the police handle these punks.”

The three vigilantes made their way back to the Batmobile.  Approaching the vehicle, Robin stopped and stared at the open space where the hospital used to be.  The debris had been cleared away over a year ago, but nothing had been put in its place.

Batman spoke to Red Hood.  “Tell me, did you come here tonight to take down the gang, or to watch out for us?”

A distinct blush tinted the man’s cheeks, “It…may…have been a bit of both.  I’m officially alive now.  I can’t let any of you replace me in the not-alive column.”

“Would that be concern for the well-being of others I hear from you, Hood?”

Red Hood rolled his eyes, “If I didn’t have that, there would be no reason to put on this uniform, Batman.”

A self-satisfied grin worked its way under the cowl as Batman said, “Good.  That is the same reason you will be putting on another uniform come Monday.”

“What are you talking about,” Hood asked, confused.

“The Security Consultant position will be filled for another few months.  That gives you time to learn the position, and to get a little experience in corporate security.  Congratulations, you are now the highest paid security guard at The Tower.  Report to Steve at 8am on Monday.  Come on, Robin, let’s go.”

Batman opened the car, expecting Robin to follow quickly.  When the boy didn’t move, Batman approached.  Robin had a blank expression on his face as Batman kneeled before him.

“It’s strange, Father.  I don’t remember anything from that day.  I don’t remember anything up until I woke up here.  This hospital was destroyed _because_ I woke up here.  People were killed because I woke up here.  It…it doesn’t seem right.”

“It’s not right, son,” Batman said softly, “But that doesn’t mean it happened in vain.  You woke up, and stopped the person who created the weapon that caused this building to be destroyed, and those lives to be lost.”

“I didn’t do it alone.” Robin turned to look at Red Hood, who was staring awkwardly from next to the car.  “It wouldn’t have been possible, without him.  I had to trust that he would trust me to trust him.  I did, and I still do.”

Robin walked up and stood in front of Red Hood.  Through nearly matching masks, their eyes met.  “Thank you for pulling me out of that building again.”

Red Hood smiled and replied, “Well, like you reminded me, it’s what brothers do for each other.”

 

**A/N:  I have no idea if Jason has a canon middle name, so I made one up.  Expect more to come, now that the Bat-Family is one step closer to being a real family.**

**NOTE: This story has been updated to reflect Jason’s canon middle name.  Thanks to those who pointed it out to me.  I liked the one I made up, but I really don’t want to hear complaints about getting it wrong, so I changed it.  Thanks for your input.**


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